Blog - Page 10 - Ioannis Zabetakis

The role of Platelet-Activating Factor (PAF) in inflammation

November 26, 2020 / Blog

It is clear from the wealth of evidence presented that understanding the mechanisms of PAF/PAF-R signalling in health and disease has yet to be fully elucidated. However, the discovery of various PAF and PAFLL agonists and antagonists, the role of the PAF metabolic enzymes in diseases, solving the human PAF-R structure, and identifying PAF signalling mechanisms independent of the PAF-R are some of the many major achievements in current PAF research. PAF is clearly linked to inflammation and CVD.

Burning hazardous and-or toxic waste in the Irish Cement Factory

November 22, 2020 / Blog

We are going to take part at that hearing and present our case on the:

Hazardous waste and the Food Chain
Toxicity of Emissions and the Public Health
Monitoring mechanisms – are they adequate?

Sacred Cow : the project and the film

November 19, 2020 / Blog

It’s commonplace today to blame meat for everything from cancer to global warming. We’re rightly scared about our health and our world. But are cattle being unfairly scapegoated? At Sacred Cow, we question the following:

• Should we eat meat at all?

• Is there a “best” diet for humans? Or is there a spectrum of optimal human nutrition?

• Can meat be part of a sustainable food system?

• Can a sustainable food system exist without meat and animal contributions, both nutritionally and environmentally?

• How important are ethics in the story of human nutrition and sustainability?

Immunopathological similarities between COVID-19 and influenza

November 18, 2020 / Blog

Covid-19 and influenza viruses have some common characteristics as discussed in this paper.

Some clinical and laboratory findings are similar in both influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections.
COVID-19 may be associated with other respiratory infectious diseases.
Vaccination against influenza at a suitable time is necessary to prevent co-infection.

open ended exam question

November 18, 2020 / Blog

One of the exam questions I have asked my first year undergraduate students in “Introductory Food Science and Health” FT4421 was this one:

If you work as a Quality Assurance Manager for a company producing infant foods containing potatoes and carrots, what actions would you take in the case of raw materials coming from Asopos region? Justify your answer using ‘Precaution Principle’.